john stearns



`ioni; STEARNS, 0F TEMPLECDON, MASSACHUSETTS. e

MACHINE FOR Pnnssme i-IATS."

`pecifleation of Letters Patent No. 8,213, dated July 8e, 1851.

`To @All 'whofnez't may concern Be it known that I, JOHN SrEiinNs, of"Templeton, in the county of Worcester and State'of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new luseful Improvement in Machines for Pressing` Palm-LeafHats, of which the fol- 4lowing is a full,` clear, `and enactdescription,

referencebeing` had"` to the accompanying drawings, hich form` part ofthisspecilicai vertical "longitndinal section `of the `same,

isa ofafportionof the same and `Fig. f4 is a Avertfcawl sectionthroughthe press- `,Iflglblflk @11d SfSh- .i i i Mll/,Iy irivention consists ina series of me- "chanical devices `which `the several late or :smoothingirons `of a palm-leaf hat pressl are Supported .and minted, and which,While admitting `of variational'most without limit, are constructed,"arranged, and combined in L such manner that Athey are under the controlof `the `"operator, who by a momentary move- `I"ne`nt cancausfe the`mechanism to lower the whole `Set of flats Lnpon the hat block, and 'bya like movementcan oause the mechanism .to

fraise the whole set from the `hat block; the

diets remaining in either position without" `reopiiring `any exertion offorce on the part e `of the foperator whodirects their movement. Theseveral partslof Vthe machineas reprejsented in the acco'mpanyingdrawingare sev lcured to a strong `frame A. Atthe front feXt'mityfoflthis frameis the hat block; which consists of two portions, the table and thecrownblock C; the table consists ofI around disk andismounted .upon theupperA entremity of -an upright tubular shaft `D `which fis traversed`by an inner solidshai't Ep "to whose upper extremity the crown block Cis secured; this inner` shaft is connected with l the tiibular shaft bya pin a, passing `through l `slotsin V.the latter i(` as `"shown iatFigf), so l that .the inner shaft "can abe raised or depressedwithinthetubular shaft but is {creed} `to turn with Lit. `The shafts `thusconnected" "are supportedinhboxes"b,\b1, attachedto the@ ffrontrailsoftheframe;`i The upper box (Z2) steadies the upper; extremities of thetubular shaft, thelewer box (51) `encirclesthe lower' j etrmty Of the`inner.solid `Shaft which projects beyondgthe 1Atubular and Ais stepped[upon `an adjustable bridgetree E, beneath-`A The latter ispivotedoneextremity to onej ...Side eflth fra-ele @ed .is .Suspended et. its

block which mayberequired, and of sutli- `cient depth to allow it to hedepressed' inthe secketthe vrequisite distance to suit the; lowestcrownedhat. `The tubular shaftfDiis'tted with a belt `pulley d to whicha belt Gais other extremity by an adjustablescrew c by l Ummm STAWENTOFFICE.

applied which encirclesa oorrespondin pulley Z1 on a driving shaftextremity of the mainframe. e A The flats or `heated 'boxes by means ofat the hinder which the hats are pressed, arethree in number I, Il, I2.Eachof them is connected by a" curved stern e with a particular leverJi. J1, Ll 2, which is pivoted at itshinder eX- tremity to the hinderendof ythe frame, and is guarded at its front extremity .bya pair ofadjustable guides f `The lat-)CGK alehung upon a pair of screwrods 9,"g, and are Xed i 1n their proper positions by nuts z' which can `beturned to move the guidesfor the purpose of adjusting the flats to suitthe diierent sized hats. Theselevers pass over'acam shaft K whichextends across the machine parallel with the` driving ShaftfI-l and is`fitted with `three eccentric cams L, L1, L2, i `'which correspond inposition with'theithree levers J, J1, tlzpalotive.".I These cams areof*` such shape ,that when the shaft is infthe position in which itisrepresented atFig.` 2 the cams do nottouch the flower face'sof thelevers, and hence the Hats will` then press `upon the hat'bleckwithfjtheir fullf force; while-if the cam shaft be turned halfaround the`projecting `portions fot the camsjvacting upon the lower faces of theirappropriate` evers will miser-he laten; and. the flats secured theretoai sufiicient ydistance above theV hath-lock" (as at 1)` to admit 'ofthe removal orfapplication offa hat `thereupon.

The cam shaft is fittedawith acog-wheel M l lwhoseteeth "engagewith"`those`of a corre@ spending pinion O` secured to a loose sleeve onthe driving shaft H. This shaft has a disk N secured to it, from which"two snugs 0 are projected toward the adjacent face of the pinion. Thelatter fsperforated to admit'the two pins h z, of aslidingclutchublockP, whoseperiphery is grooved to receive the forked extremityof aclutchlever movelle WhiQhf-he P11159@ be rushed. fer @weh through the pinion Oto be within the range pf the snugs 0 on the disk N. l/Vhen thereforethe pins are in this position, the pinion (O) the wheel (M) driventhereby, and the cam shaft (K) with its cams, will be forced to revolvewith the driving shaft H; and when the pins Z1, Zt are not in gear withthe snugs 0, the pinion (O), wheel (M), cam shaft (K), and cams L L1 L2,will remain at rest. The clutch lever .R is connected by means of a bellcrank S with the hinder extremity of a secondary lever T, whose frontextremity extends to the front rails of the frame and is there tted witha rod U, by

depressing which the clutch block P is moved yto throw the pins L /t ingear with the snugs 0,; the hinder extremity of the lever T is actedupon by a spring V whose tendency is to throw t-he clutch block and itspins out o-f ear. g The inner face of the cog wheel M is fitted with aring flange W which projects suflif ciently to hold the upright arm ofthe bell crank S in the position in which it is placed by the movementof the lever T when the pins of the clutch block are in gear; and twoslots Z Z1, of suliicient size and depth to admit the upright arm of thebell crank when the lclutch pins are out of gear, are formed in theopposite sides of this ring flange; one of the slots Zlbeing in such aposition with respect to the cams L, L1, L2, and bell crank S that thelatter is received into it when the cams have raised the levers to theirhighest positions; while they other slot Z is in such a. position thatit will receive the armof the` bell crank when the cams have allowed thelevers to sink to their lowest positions.

In order to obtain the requisite pressure each lever is loaded with aweight X; and in order to press the sides of the crown of the hat one ofthe boxes or flats I2 is lit-ted with an adjustable face m whichcan beset by means of a screw n to fit the taper of the crown. This box isalso pressed against the side of the crown by means of a lateral bracebar Y, which ispivoted'toy the upper extremity of a spring standard Zand is held in they inclined position in which it is represented in Fig.l by means of a weight p. As the'box I2 descends a pin projected fromits hinder side strikes a horn t on the extremity of the brace bar andforces it to assume a horizontal position; in attaining which, the bracebar forces the box against the side of the crown. The force with whichthe spring standard acts is adjusted by means of a set screw 1'.

When hats are to be pressed with this machine the several parts of itare set in the positions in which they are represented in Fig. l and thedriving shaft is caused to revolve by applying power to it from someavailable prime mover. The pressing boxes are heated by a hot block ofiron introduced within them or in some other convenient manner. The hatsto be pressedare then applied successively to the block, the crown blockC being adjusted by the screw c to the height of the crown. The hand ofthe operator is then applied to the knob of the rod U and the latterisdepressed; this depression of the rod (U) moves the secondary lever T,the bell crank S and the clutch lever R; by this movement the arm of thebell crank is moved out of the slot (Z) in the ring flange, while atthey same time the clutch pins are thrown into gear by the movement ofthe clutch lever R. As soon as the snugs" o in their revolution strikethe clutch pins the pinion P begins to turn with the driving shaft; asthe pinion turns, its teeth acting upon those of the cog-wheel M turns,lthe latter and also the cam-shaft with its"H cams. As soon as thecog-wheels begin to turn that slot (Z) inthe ring flange from which thearm of the bell crank was ejected is moved past the arm, and hence ifthe hand. s of the operator be withdrawn from the rod U the bell crankand the clutch connected therewith will be prevented from throwing theclutch pins out of gear by the action of the ring flange against whichthe arm of the., bell crank bears, notwithstanding the action of thespring V which tends to eifect this throwing out of the clutch. The camshaft and cams will therefore continue to revolve and thus lower theflats upon the hat until,

the next slot (Z) in the ring flange arrives" opposite the arm of thebell crank S which is immediately drawn into the slot by the action ofthe spring V. As the arm enters t-he slot Z the clutch lever R movingwith it draws the clutch pins Iout of gear by which' Aoperation themovement vof the pinion and consequently that of the cog-wheel and camshaft with its cams is stopped. This slot Z is, as before stated, in theproper position to admit the arm of the bell crank when theA ythe bellcrank is thrown out of the slot Z in the ring flange, the clutch pinsare thrown into gear, and the cam shaft will be turned by the action ofthe pinion and wheel; as the cam shaft turns the cams acting upon thevlower faces of the levers L, L', L2, raise them and also the flatsconnected therewith from the hat; this upward movement of the flats iscontinued until the levers and flats regain their highest position asshown at Fig. 1 when the arm of the bell crank again enters theappropriate slot (Z) in the ring iflange, and allows the clutch pins tobe thrown out of gear by the `action of the spring, by which operationthe further movement of the cam shaft and cams is stopped. The severalparts of the machine now occupy the same positions as they did when thehat was applied to the hat block, and the 'operator removes the pressedhat and applies an unpressed one to the hat block which is pressed by arepetition ofthe above described operations.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the whole operation ofbringing the flats in contact with the hat and of raising them therefromis effected by machinery 'which requires only the momentary preshandsmay be used exclusively to apply the hats and remove them when pressed.y

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure `by Letters Patent isli The method of alternately lowering the pressing irons upon the hatblock and raising them therefrom by mechanism operating substantially asherein described which is readily controlled by the attendant. y

In testimony whereof I have hereuntosub# i scribed my name thisnineteenth day of February 1851.` y

' `JOI-IN STEARNS. Witnesses:

ARTEMos LEE, JOSEPH SNOW.

